German Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) is calling for the rights of workers in low-cost production countries to be strengthened with the right to sue in German courts. Civil lawsuits should be possible, said the SPD minister on the upcoming tenth anniversary of the collapse of the textile factory "Rana Plaza" in Bangladesh.
According to the women's rights organization Femnet, many survivors of the collapse are now living in catastrophic conditions, despite compensation payments. Schulze said in an interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk published on Saturday: "I want people who have been harmed by European companies to have a right to sue in a German court – also with the help of the trade unions – and that these grievances are remedied."
Such a right of action would have to be introduced through the European Union (EU). The German Supply Chain Act, which came into force in January of this year, does not include the possibility of a civil lawsuit. With regard to the market for cheap textiles, Schulze called on consumers to rethink. Clothing for little money cannot be sustainable, Schulze said in the BR24 "Interview of the Week" and added: "We won't get anywhere with bans, we have to appeal to people's common sense."
More than 1100 workers died in the disaster
The collapse of the textile factory "Rana Plaza" in Bangladesh marks the tenth anniversary on Monday. More than 24 workers were killed and more than 2013 injured in the disaster near the capital Dhaka on 1100 April 1800. Most of the survivors had received compensation, but it was not enough, said Gisela Burckhardt, an expert on human rights in the clothing industry, to the Protestant Press Service.
After two years of fighting, money was paid for lost wages and medical costs after the accident. "Today, however, the workers live at the subsistence level," reported the chairwoman of the board of the women's rights organization Femnet. The rules of the International Labour Organization (ILO), according to which the compensation was paid, are based on the fact that social security guarantees survivors of such accidents an income, Burckhardt explained: "But there is no such thing in Bangladesh."
It is true that the collapse of "Rana Plaza" has led to some rethinking in the clothing industry. For example, the Bangladesh Accord for building safety was adopted, to which 1600 of the 4000 textile factories in the country had joined. "However, working conditions have not improved since then, nor has the massive gender-based violence," said Burckhardt.
Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of clothing after China, with textiles accounting for 82 percent of all exports. At the same time, labor costs are lower than in China. With 16 percent, Germany is the second largest buyer after the USA.